United We Stand
by Ms. Perception
Summary: The sequel to Because I Could Not Stop for Death. As the team settles into the newly minted Avengers mansion, there are new dangers on the horizon that threaten to destroy everything they've built. Fortunately, they've learned to be more than just a team. They're a family. And no one messes with their family.
1. Today Was A Good Day

**Summary:** The sequel to _Because I Could Not Stop for Death_. As the team settles into the newly minted Avengers mansion, there's a new danger rising that threatens to tear the team apart from the inside. Now more than ever, they'll need to show that they're more than just a team, they're a family.

 **Pairings** : Clint/Laura, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Darcy/Ian, Steve/Bucky. Hints of Wanda/Vision, Bruce/Betty

 **Warnings** : Um, spoilers for Age of Ultron and Civil War, kind of?

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing!

 **Author's Note** **:** Hello all! I'm finally here with the actual sequel to Because I Could Not Stop for Death. This chapter touches on some things brought up in the prequel I posted, _How I Met Your Mother (Again)_ , so if it seems like some things are being glossed over, that's why. That being said, hope you enjoy the ride. I might not be great with the updates but rest assured I've got at least the first three chapters plotted out. After that… well! We shall see. Ciao for now!

* * *

Today _Was_ a Good Day

When Daisy Johnson first met the infamous Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton, she admitted that she was more than a little star struck. He was considered to be one of SHIELD's brightest and he was also a founding member of the Avengers. He was there that day fighting when the Chitauri fell from the sky. As if that wasn't impressive enough, he also had the admiration of Phil Coulson, Nick Fury and Melinda May. Even if he wasn't an Avenger or one of the better liked agents in SHIELD, Daisy would've respected him just for holding the esteem of any of those three people. So she freely admitted that when she realized who he was, she was star struck. She was also totally embarrassed and feeling guilty because she did attempt to harm his wife and almost murdered his son. Thankfully, their second meeting went much better in that no one was nearly mortally wounded. She even walked away from it feeling that she might have made some inroads on gaining his trust and maybe possibly his friendship one day.

It was a slow moving path. She got the feeling that Clint didn't trust easily. But she could see from the way he interacted with the over Avengers, that when he did trust, it was absolute and unwavering. She hoped that one day she could achieve that level of trust. Since that initial meeting, the Avengers were once again loosely affiliated with SHIELD. Officially, they were disbanded though they publically moved into Tony's old family mansion. Unofficially, most of them were employed by SHIELD (with Natasha and Clint resuming their old agent status and Bucky and Steve assuming actual agent status). For the most part, the team formerly known as the Avengers but still pretty much were the Avengers were helping out on missions that involved people with powers, be they mutant, Inhuman, or other. It wasn't odd to find that Iron Man or Captain America was suddenly added to the team right before a mission. But as of yet, Daisy had yet to be assigned to any team with Clint. She's worked with Natasha, Tony, Sam, Steve and even Vision. But not Clint.

And then one day, when most of the SHIELD agents were out on various other missions or downtime, Phil got a call from a family that needed immediate assistance. Their teenage daughter recently came into her powers and there was increased pressure and harassment to have her register. Phil had a team of Avengers assembled and then called in Daisy. She was supposed to be off that day but Phil told her that Clint specifically requested that she go on this mission. She was still proud of the fact that she didn't do a victory dance in the middle of Phil's office. Especially since it wasn't much of a victory. Because the fact was that even if Clint was the one who asked that she go on the mission, nothing said he was going on the mission as well. No, she was on a team with the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Also known as the three Avengers Daisy has had little to do with and might be secretly a bit terrified of. And even more disappointingly, Clint wasn't going because he was home babysitting.

Five hours later, Daisy was irritated, exhausted and more than willing to admit defeat. She was never going to get Clint's trust because the man clearly wanted nothing to do with her. Either that or he wanted to scare her away. How else could he justify signing her up to be locked in a small space with Wanda, who still hated her for what she did to Pietro. Oh, and Bucky, who had given up all attempts at verbal communication three hours before that moment and was alternately glaring at the father, who was itching for a fight with someone, and their new mutant's little brother who seemed fascinated with Bucky's metal arm. Then there was Pietro, who looked more and more uncomfortable with every flirty touch and giggle from said new mutant. Wanda seemed torn between sending dirty looks at the girl who was harassing her brother and Daisy. As for Daisy, well, she was pretty much ready to just give up.

"You're looking at this totally wrong, you know?"

Daisy barely held back the screech that almost left her lips as Bucky flopped down on the ground beside her. She hadn't even seen him move! The man was honestly scary as hell. She knew about Bucky Barnes from the 40s. If you were part of Phil's life, you knew about Captain America and the Howling Commandos. It was just a requisite of being one of the people he trusted in this world. And this scowling, emotionally withdrawn man was nothing like the charming, ladies killer from Phil's stories. It was hard to reconcile that image in her mind. Daisy knew of everything the man had experienced over the past seventy years but it was hard to remember that when he was skulking around in the silence carrying more concealed weapons than Natasha. And she's seen Natasha disarm herself. It was somehow both terrifying and yet amazing to witness. It definitely had to be a Soviet spy thing.

Still, Daisy watched as Bucky settled into a more comfortable position beside her, folding his legs into a lotus position. He was looking in the direction of the twins who were not seated side by side. Wanda had a proprietary arm wrapped around her brother's that seemed to be effective in warding off his new admired. Pietro looked not short of relieved for the break in flirty teenage girl ways. Daisy wasn't surprised to see a smile on Bucky's lips nor was she surprised to feel a smile of her own growing. It was the little moments, like this, that helped her to understand what the Avengers saw in the twins. And then her brain caught up to what he said before they started watching the twins.

"Wait, what do you mean I'm looking at this wrong? What exactly do you think that I'm looking at here?"

Bucky snorted, leaning back against the wall she was resting against. "You think that Clint doesn't trust you because he didn't come on this mission with you. Right?"

"Uh," she mumbled, looking down at the gauntlets on her hands. "I guess a little bit."

"Well, that's what you're wrong about. Because Clint does trust you. You know how many of these missions the Wonder Twins over there have been on that didn't involve Steve, Sam or Clint in some capacity?"

"Uh, three?"

"Try none," Bucky corrected with a small huff of laughter. It was a warm laugh that was accompanied by a genuine smile. "Sam and Stevie take being named godparents really seriously. And Clint is so completely overprotective of those two that he didn't even trust Darcy and Natasha to take them out for a day. So the fact that they're here now with you and Sam, Steve and Clint are back in New York watching two of the most self-sufficient children I've ever met and a baby, should tell you everything that you need to know."

Daisy tilted her head to the side as she tried to fit this new information into the scenario she painted early. It made a little more sense now. Although, the more she thought about it, Wanda and Pietro weren't the only ones that brought out a sense of protectiveness in the Avengers. In the three months since they were living in the mansion, Daisy has seen almost all of them go up against someone who thought that Bucky should be held accountable for being brainwashed and transformed into HYDRA's favorite weapon. People expected Steve's passionate defense of his best friend but it was the cutting remarks from the rest of the team that caught people off guard. After one particularly brutal response from Sam invoking every bit of knowledge about PTSD and war in general, it was rare that anyone bothered to question Bucky's freedom anymore. So Daisy was starting to get the hint that maybe she was a lot more trusted than she originally thought.

"They really do trust me, huh?"

"Yeah. They sent you a mission alone with the twins and no other Avenger."

Daisy arched an eyebrow. "Uh, you're here."

"I'm not an Avenger!" Bucky protested, a scowl that dipped just a bit towards a pout formed on his lips even as he crossed his arms over his chest. Daisy had to bite on her lip to hide her smile. The Winter Soldier ladies and gentlemen. Still she grinned. Clint trusted her! Hell they all trusted her. That was enough.

Today was a good day.

* * *

"Clint?"

"Hmm?"

"What the hell are we watching?"

"It clearly says _Dog Cops_ , Steve. Clearly."

"Yeah, but… what exactly is the plot of this show?"

"They're dogs and they're cops."

"Okay, we've established that. But what's the point of it?"

"What was the point of you punching fake Hitler in the face?"

Steve narrowed his eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything, Steve. It has everything to do with it," Clint retorted, before sinking further down on the sofa with his eyes never moving from the ridiculous show on the television. Steve arched an eyebrow as he continued to stare in disbelief at Clint.

When he was with his children, it was hard to remember that Clint really wasn't that much older than Steve. He was just barely in his thirties. It became much more apparent when Clint was around Tony or Thor or Bucky. They seemed to bring out the younger side of the archer that was buried under parental responsibility. And it made Steve feel even lighter knowing that he was somehow added to that list as well. Still…

"Punching fake Hitler in the face has nothing to do with this show and you know it. _Dog Cops_ makes no sense."

"They're cops and they're dogs! What is more awesome than that?" Clint protested. His eyes widened dramatically. And Steven knew that look. He's seen on the face of Lila, Pietro and Tony far too many times. It was the look that meant whatever came out of his mouth next was going to lead to Steve wishing he never said anything at all. "Unless you hate dogs." And there it was. One day, he would learn. One day.

"Who hates dogs?" Sam's voice added to the madness. Steve's gaze flickered to Sam who was walking into what they were calling the living room.

Honestly, the mansion had about five other rooms that served the same purpose but it was agreed upon by all of them that this was _the_ living room. The other rooms were only used when the television here had been commandeered for shows that were considered to be a big deal. It didn't matter if some people didn't get it. If there were enough people screaming that the show was important, it was important. No one wanted another scene like the time Steve made the mistake of turning away from an episode of _Shadowhunters_. Steve didn't know what the show was about but apparently something named Malec was happening that night and Wanda made it very clear what would happen if anyone else tried to interfere with that. Piercing glares from Pietro, Lila, Cooper, Vision and Darcy backed up her threat rather effectively. Steve immediately retreated from the room and towards one of the other lounges only to find Bucky, Clint, Laura, Natasha, Thor and Sam all crowded around the television watching the same damn show. Steve gave up and plopped down between Bucky and Sam. After a much nicer recap from the always patient Laura, Steve had to admit the show was pretty good. He was rooting for that Malec pairing. But that show, he got. _Dog Cops_ on the other hand….

"Steve hates dogs," Clint answered, taking the beer Sam wordlessly handed him with a grin. "He hates _Dog Cops_."

"How could you possibly hate _Dog Cops_?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I don't hate dogs or _Dog Cops_! I just don't get it, that's all."

"What's to get? They're cops and they're dogs. What could be better than that?" Sam argued, narrowing his eyes at Steve.

Steve blinked looking between Sam and Clint, who was also glaring at Steve. Silence fell over the three men with the only sound being the episode playing in the background. Finally, Clint snickered prompting Sam to echo his laughter. Steve rolled his eyes, stealing Clint's beer in the process. He drank the rest of the beer in one long swallow.

"Aw, beer, no," Clint mumbled. Steve gave back the empty bottle. He didn't feel even an ounce of remorse for the archer's pouting expression. "Why beer? Why?!"

"You guys are jerks," Steve answered.

"Nah, you're just way too easy to mess with," Sam shrugged, shielding his beer from Steve. He threw a sidelong glance at the still pouting Clint and handed his bottle over to the younger man. "Not to change the subject from the always riveting Dog Cops, but bro, you need to do something about Bucky."

"He's not even here right now. What could he possibly have done now?"

"Dude, you're aware that there are now ducks living here, right? He legit found ducks from god only knows where and moved them into the pond. Also we have a pond. These were not mutually exclusive discoveries. We have a pond and now we have ducks," Clint replied.

"This is on top of the ferrets that live in the attic," Sam added.

"Not to mention, the flamingo colony that seem to inhabit the property but I think that Tony said it might be his dad's thing."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Come to think of it, the ferrets might actually belong to Thor. Or Vision. One of them," Clint mused. "But the ducks are definitely Bucky's."

"Definitely."

Steve sighed. That apparently was all the cue that the other two needed as the television was very suddenly muted and all attention was on him. Neither of his friends seemed angry or even hostile. He could read the concern there. If it were any of member of this family questioning him right now, Steve probably would've found a way to escape as quickly as he could. But this was Sam, who put his life and freedom on the line every day just because he decided Steve was the kind of man he should follow. And Clint, who opened his home and his family to Steve without batting an eye. Clint was also the same man who told him it was okay to feel what he feels for Bucky and to offer unconditional support. Steve owed them both more than he cared to admit.

"Still no movement on the Stucky front, huh?"

"Stucky?" Steve repeated, bewildered. They both shrugged.

"I'm constantly influenced by the youth of today. You get a cute couple name. Deal with it," Clint retorted. "And answer the question. We talked about this a few months ago. You seemed like you made a decision. But here we are."

"It's just that… it's not that easy, you know? I want to, you know, with him. But I just… I can't… I don't know if I can make a move. I just… he's been through a lot. And despite the fact that he did most of it on his own, he thinks that I'm the one that saved him. I just feel like if I make a move, if I try to start something, it might make things worse. I don't know if he wants to be with me but I know that if I say something, he'll feel obligated. That's just how he is. He always gives me what he thinks I need because he's a self-sacrificing idiot." Steve pointedly ignored the raised eyebrows from Sam and Clint because screw them, that's why. "The point is, I don't want him to feel like he has to be in a relationship with me."

"You want him to choose you?" Sam clarified, gently.

"Yeah," Steve sighed. "I don't want to make a move and trap him."

"Dude, pretty sure he chose you a long time ago," Clint pointed out. "I refuse to spill details from private Sniper Bros conversations but I think it's pretty obvious that Bucky is just as head over heels for you as you are for him."

Clint had a point. They both did. It was more than obvious that Bucky had feelings for him. More than friend feelings. Just as it was beyond obvious that Steve was in love with Bucky. But there was just this fear that if they crossed the line, something would happen. He knew it was stupid. He knew that he had a chance that most people would kill for but he still hesitated. He charged without thinking into every situation he was presented with. But the idea of a romantic relationship with the man he called best friend for almost ninety years was enough to send him into a blind panic. Still, something had to give. They couldn't keep dancing around this topic for the next however many years. It was driving them both insane. Not to mention the rest of the Avengers. And really, some of them (Tony) couldn't afford to be driven any closer to the edge of sanity and reason. Yeah, Steve definitely needed to have a talk with Bucky and settle this thing between them once and for all.

"I'll talk to him," Steve promised. He watched Clint and Sam exchange glances and nods. "When he gets back from the mission with the twins and Daisy."

"About that," Sam said, turning towards Clint and effectively, and blessedly, changing the subject. "Why did you send three fourths of the Eastern European faction out with Daisy anyway? She is woefully unprepared to deal with Bucky and the twins separately much less altogether."

"One," Clint said, leaning back against the sofa, "she wants to be part of the family. That means she's going to have to learn to be prepared to deal with them. two, if they stayed here they would be asking a lot more questions about where Laura is and I'm not really prepared to answer those without her. Especially not to those three. Damn wife practically adopting everyone. And she complains about me picking up strays. I heard her actually refer to Bucky as her brother the other day. So look on the bright side, Steve. When you finally get your act together, one day you and I can be in-laws!"

Steve rolled his eyes but couldn't fight the smile tugging at his lips. It was true. Laura gave her husband a lot of grief for his quick attachment to humans in need. But she failed to acknowledge that it happened to her as well. While all of the team was accepting and protective of Bucky, Laura took it to a whole other level. She protected Bucky with the ferocity he had only seen her apply to her children, Clint, Natasha and Tony. And Bucky didn't seem to mind at all. If anything he seemed to reciprocate the affection. It was adorable and pretty much solidified the fact that should it ever work out between Bucky and Steve, he definitely would be Clint's brother-in-law. That thought was a lot less terrifying than it should've been.

"Hold up," Sam waved a hand. "Where is Laura exactly?"

"Uh, visiting an old friend?" Clint replied, hesitantly. He bit in his lip in thought. "Or more like acquaintance. That might be a better way of putting it. Or I guess you could say extended family."

"Laura has more family?! Please tell me that they're nothing like her mother and sister," Sam pleaded. Steve silently agreed.

"Actually, it's not Laura's family so much as Cooper."

Steve's brow furrowed. "Cooper? As in your son, Cooper?"

"Yes and kinda no," Clint mumbled quietly and it was only Steve's super hearing that picked that up. And even then it took a minute for the words to actually register.

"Wait, is Cooper not your son?!" Clint shrugged.

"He's my son in everything but blood."

"Holy shit," Sam swore. "How the hell did we now know about that?! Wait, does Cooper know?! Is that why you never told us? Because you still haven't told him?"

"Relax, Wilson," Clint rolled his eyes. "Of course Cooper knows that I'm not his biological father. He actually figured it out on his own. The kid is smart, I'll give him that. So we told him the truth. He told me it didn't matter to him. I'm the only dad he's ever known and that's all he cares about. I was there from the minute he was born. I'm going to be there for him no matter what. So I'm his father and he's my son. Just, you know, he has another father who he's never met and with any luck will never have to meet if he doesn't want to."

"Damn," Sam whistled. Steve seconded that. He always admired Clint and the way that he interacted with the twins. To an outside person, the only room for pause when it came to the twins being the Barton's natural children was the age difference between them. But even that didn't seem so totally unrealistic. Clint had adopted the twins not only in name but also through actions and into his heart. And now he realized that it was just how Clint was. Yeah, he definitely didn't mind being Clint's in-law at all.

"So Laura is meeting with Cooper's biological father?"

Clint snorted. "Nah, she's meeting up with his grandfather. And there is not exactly a lot of love lost there."

"Is she okay going there by herself? We could've watched the kids if you wanted to go," Steve pointed out. Clint shook his head.

"Nah, she was fine going by herself. Anyway, I have a feeling she's not as alone as she thinks she is. It's cool, Cap. I knew you guys could hold the kids down. She wanted to do this on her own and who am I to stand in her way? Besides, I would rather enjoy a 48 hour marathon of _Dog Cops_ then deal with the passive aggressive bitchfest that is Laura going back there. Take the hostility between her and her mom and sister and multiple it by seven and you still wouldn't come close to the hate boner she has for Scott, Emma and some of the other students there. At least with her mom and sister, Laura had hope that they could work it out. With the X-Men…. I think she's just hoping that one day, the purge will actually happen. So yeah, I think we're better off here."

"Yeah, you're right. I think I'd rather have _Dog Cops_ over that too," Steve agreed, shuddering at the description alone.

And that's how Steve found himself slouched on the sofa between Clint and Sam watching the world's most ridiculous yet addictive show about dog cops. He smiled listening to the two beside him bickering and bantering throughout the show, all the while thinking of how he was going to bring up the whole more than friends thing with Bucky. He was definitely going to talk to him when they got back from their mission.

Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Laura wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans as she stood on the doorstep of the Xavier School for the Gifted. The placed used to be a lot more physically intimidating when she was younger, but that was before she moved into a mansion situated on a property that had its own zip code. Laura could see where Tony got his bigger is better nature from now. But at any rate, living in a house bigger than the Xavier estate did little to calm her nerves which had been on edge since she parked the car ten minutes ago. She despised this place. More importantly she despised the man that ran it.

He sold her out to SHIELD. In the end, it worked in her favor that he sold her out to Nick Fury, who saw value in those society liked to ignore. It definitely worked that Nick found the value in Clint Barton years before her file crossed his desk. But the part that still made her angry to this day was that Charles didn't know any of that. He sold her out with the intention that she died. If it had been any other director, any other sniper agent, she would be a dead woman. Her child would never be born. Just the very thought of Cooper not existing broke her heart and made her see read. Then the front door opened and her sudden wrath found a perfect target.

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to ring the bell," Emma Frost drawled from where she leaned against the door. "But then I realized it's probably part of your grand master plan to murder us with your mind from the outside."

"Emma, how wonderful to see you! How's life? I heard about you and Scott. Congratulations, I know you've been trying to get in there for years. Just a quick little question, did you actually wait for Jean's body to get cold or did you just bang Scott right there on the battlefield over her corpse?"

Emma's already ice colored eyes frosted (ha!) over and Laura could see one curled fist slowly covering with diamonds. A smirk tugged on her lips. This might be exactly what she needed before having to talk to Charles. She tilted her head to the side and let the inky blackness she associated with her powers cover her eyes. She had been itching to take the other woman down a few pegs since they first met over two years ago. And it seemed that she would be waiting still as Scott suddenly skidded into the scene. Laura rolled her eyes.

"Oh great, it's you."

"What are you even doing here? Didn't you say that you never wanted to set foot in this place again?" Scott retorted, wrapping a comforting arm around Emma. "Are you back to bother the Professor?"

"More like I'm back to ask why he insists on bothering me," Laura answered, pushing past the couple and towards Charles' office.

She passed by several students who gave her a wide berth. She knew that her facial expression alone must have clearly broadcast her emotional state but for those sensitive to telepathy or empathy, she must come across as a ticking time bomb. That's why she wasn't at all surprised when one particular young man wearing a long trench coat stopped short despite him not being in her direct path. His auburn colored head cocked to the side and the most unique set of eyes she had ever seen met hers. They were red on black and they were beautiful. A soft smile tugged at his lips and she could feel his surprise and delight. She found herself intrigued by the young man. It wasn't often she met other empaths. Especially empaths that she couldn't read.

Because the strangest thing about him wasn't his eyes. It was the fact aside from the hint of his emotions, that she suspected her let her feel, Laura couldn't get a good read on the kid at all. She wasn't omega level but her telepathy was strong enough to read the minds of almost everyone. But not this kid. Oh, he was powerful. He tipped his head in her direction with a charming smirk before practically gliding across the floor towards a group of young women around his age. One of that had dark brown hair that hung down to the small of her back. Her heart shaped face was framed by white streaks. Laura watched as the young man settled by her side with an arm around her shoulders. Despite her earlier angry feelings, Laura was amused. A kid that was immune to telepaths? And he was living in the mansion without a handler following his every move. How did Charles live with that one around? It must kill him not to be able to read and control the thoughts of every single person under his roof.

"I do wish you wouldn't think the worst of me while under my roof," Charles said as she entered his office. Laura arched an eyebrow. "Though I suppose you may have some justified reasons for your anger and aggression towards me."

"Oh, you suppose, huh?"

"What brings you here today?"

"You know damn well why I'm here. You have no business tracking any mutant in the Avengers mansion."

"You can feel Cerebro even from that distance?" Charles asked, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the desk. Dark eyes widened in genuine surprise. "That's incredible, Laura. Your powers continue to grow stronger every day. But you've always been quite powerful."

"Yeah, I was and I still am. So butt out of my life."

Charles nodded slowly. "So how is Cooper?"

Laura clenched her jaw as she bit down the urge to rip the mansion down to studs. "You," she hissed. "You do not get to ask about him. Ever."

"I'm his grandfather," Charles protested.

"Not in any way that actually counts. Clint Barton is his father as far as any of us are concerned. And I'm definitely not about let you into Cooper's life so he can end up like David or worse a part of your child mutant army."

"You know that's not at all what the X-Men are." Laura raised an eyebrow even as she sat down in one of the armchairs facing the desk where Charles was sitting.

"I know that this mansion has been invaded and destroyed on more than five occasion. You can't possibly begin to tell me that you wouldn't add even more danger to Cooper's life. That he would be safe with you. Well, even if you could, it hardly matters. Because he's safe where he is. With me. With his real family."

"Oh, you mean the Avengers?" Scott suddenly chimed in. Laura whirled around to see that he had clearly followed her when she stormed in there earlier. Emma was nowhere in sight. Pity. She was really looking forward to that fight. Oh, well there was still Charles' golden boy.

"Don't start a fight you don't have the balls to finish, Scott," Laura warned. "You have no idea what goes on with the Avengers. They're my family. They have cared about me when my own kind turned their back on me. So I would watch what I say if I were you." She noticed his jaw clench but nothing else came out. Good, he was leaning. "And on that note, why are you even here? I don't recall asking you to join this conversation."

"Laura, Scott, let's just settle down," Charles interjected before Scott could make the no doubt nasty retort he had been thinking about saying. "Now, Laura. Why don't you tell me why you're here? You said something about Cerebro."

"Yeah," Laura replied after a moment. Her eyes flickered back to meet Charles'. "I thought we made an arrangement. I don't come in here and give your students migraines at will and you continue to ignore that Cooper exists."

"I've stuck to the terms of our agreement," Charles assured her. "I've made no attempts to contact or otherwise monitor Cooper and certainly not by Cerebro."

"Bullshit. I felt Cerebro in my home. Who else are you looking for it not me or Cooper? There aren't any other mutants there."

Even as she said it, Laura realized she made a mistake. She was so caught up in her history with Charles and the entirety of the X-Men that she ignored the most obvious answer. Charles had stuck to their bargain. He never bothered to check on Cooper directly in the eleven years her son existed. Why would he suddenly break that word? And he had her number. He wouldn't need to use Cerebro to contact her. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Damn Sherlock.

"The twins," Laura sighed.

"They're mutants," Charles agreed with a small nod of his head. "And from what I've seen, they're powerful. Whatever enhancements they underwent only made them stronger. Especially the girl. Wanda. She may rival David at full strength."

Laura closed her eyes. She knew it on a primal level when she first met the twins. They were the only survivors of HYDRA's experiments. It wasn't that HYRDA succeeded in creating miracles. They simply woke up something that was already there. They were still growing too. That was the most worrisome part of the whole mess. They had already witnessed Pietro's powers changing and growing. He was even faster than before. His hair was completely silver. And he wasn't the only one changing. Wanda did more than just move things with her mind. She was reading them. She was unconsciously manipulating thoughts. Laura knew it but she just couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it.

"She's powerful, Laura," Charles cut into her thoughts. She opened his eyes to see him giving her a sympathetic look. "I know she's your daughter. And I know that you care. You know I'm uniquely qualified to know exactly how this feels. But you know what David is capable of. Do you really want to see Wanda end up where he is?"

"Of course not," Laura spat. "He's rotting in Moira's lab, brain dead and unaware of the world around him. I'd rather die than see that happen to my daughter. But the alternative isn't much better. I'm not losing my daughter to the X-Men."

"That's not my intention," Charles shook his head. "I'm not suggesting that either twin attend school here full time but it may be in their best interest to have them meet with me so they can start learning to control their abilities."

Laura glanced down at her hands, eyes trained on the picture on her lock screen. It was a photo of all five of her children together. Smiling and happy. She wanted them to stay that way forever. She couldn't imagine a world in which Wanda lost control. She didn't want to imagine it. Because she knew Wanda. Wanda might have the power to rival Legion but she didn't have the black heart. She wouldn't be able to live with hurting someone. The guilt would eat her alive and take Pietro with her. Laura couldn't do that… she couldn't…

"I'll think about it. But I make no promises."

"That's all I ask," Charles accepted with a nod.

Nothing else was said as she stood up, pushing past Scott one last time. She barely paid attention to the students this time around. Her mind focusing on all the possibilities. She could walk away from this and just forget it all. But she was also right if something happened because of Wanda's powers, she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. But she also didn't want to involve her kids in anymore craziness. The Avengers were enough. She didn't need to add the X-Men in there too. Hell, she should go into the city and see if she could find that new team, the Fantastic something just to add to the chaos.

She sat down in her car and slumped forward. She could feel her anxiety kicking in and tried desperately to control her breathing. Coming here was supposed to make her feel better. But really she knew it wasn't. She knew when she first felt Cerebro sweeping over her house that it wasn't Cooper, Charles was seeing. She knew on a deeper level that she was going to get the confirmation of what she already knew. Wanda and Pietro were mutants.

Suddenly, she noticed something. It wasn't anything big. Her powers reached for miles away. With all of the people living in the mansion and the surrounding area, she had learned to turn her senses down several notches. But, it seemed, that they were too low. It took her way too long to notice that she was not alone. Her eyes opened slowly even as her right hand reached for the knife Clint kept strapped to the side of the driver's seat. She loved chiding her husband for being paranoid but, let's face facts, it's not paranoia if the world really is out to get you. She pulled the knife away and turned in her seat to see violently red hair and smirking green eyes.

"Nat? I thought you were on that mission with Thor, Tony and Rhodey."

Natasha shrugged. "They didn't need me. It was a milk run. And Rhodey is more than adult enough to handle those two. Besides, I figured you were headed here and I knew you'd need backup. Was I wrong?"

"No, you definitely were not."

"Alright, so care to tell the better Soviet assassin what's going on?"

Laura cracked a weak smile before explaining everything, including her suspicions about the twins. She wasn't surprised at all by Natasha's lack of shock when they were revealed to be mutants. She had a feeling that both Natasha and Clint thought it but were too… them to say anything about it. She really hated/loved those two.

"And so that's where we are," Laura finished with a sigh. Natasha nodded sympathetically before patting her on the leg.

"Well, you're screwed."

"Gee, thanks. It's always so helpful having you around."

"You're welcome!" Natasha replied with a wide smirk. "That's why I'm your favorite of Clint's sisters."

"Oh, is that what you are? Because I'm starting to think I'm giving that title to Darcy. Also my husband has adopted too many sisters."

"So says the woman that has adopted a former brainwashed assassin as a brother and has been actively campaigning to add Captain America as her brother-in-law," was the dry retort. Laura rolled her eyes.

"This isn't about me. It's about Clint."

Natasha threw her head back and laughed. It was a genuine laugh. The kind only her family got to hear. Laura loved when Natasha was able to laugh like that. The younger woman had it rough. The Red Room tried to take away everything that would make her an individual. Laura liked to think she and the rest of their family were helping to put it back together a little bit at a time.

"So what are you going to do?" Natasha asked, once her amusement had passed.

Laura sighed again. "If I introduce Charles to Wanda and Pietro, ultimately it's going to mean me introducing Charles into Cooper's life. But Charles is also right, that smug bastard. Wanda has powers that are becoming more and more like David's. He could bend reality, Nat. it's a scary thought. I don't want to be the reason why Wanda makes a mistake so big she can't fix it. So I'm basically being asked to sacrifice one kid for the other."

"Okay, no," Natasha cut in, wrapping her hand around Laura's. "You can't think about it like that. I know the whole situation with Charles is less than ideal. He can be a real ass sometimes. But you and I both know that he's a good man. And he cares about his students. He cares about mutants. One day, Cooper is going to manifest powers. It's not a maybe. I'm actually surprised he didn't come out the womb reading minds."

Laura laughed softly. "I'm not entirely sure he didn't."

"He was a freakishly perceptive infant," Natasha agreed with another smile. She squeezed Laura's hand. "The point is that Cooper is going to be just as strong as Wanda one day. Maybe even stronger. Who knows? But the point is that Charles is the person who can help. We've seen the good work he's done. So maybe it's not a bad thing that the twins are going to need some mutant counseling. It might help ease Cooper into the whole meeting his grandfather thing." Laura chewed on her lip.

"I hate you when you're making sense and are most likely right."

"Oh, so like all the time? We both know that's not true, Laur."

"Oh, shut up," Laura hissed, keeping her teeth clenched around the giggles threatening to burst from her chest. It was far from ideal but she knew what she needed to do. She was going to have to bring the twins, and one day Cooper, to Charles. She had to stop her daughter from becoming the next Legion. This was going to be a fun conversation with Clint tonight. "Come on, let's go home. Pretty sure Steve is ready to kill Clint and Sam. They were planning on forcing him to watch that _Dog Cops_ marathon."

"What is it with them and that show?" Natasha mused even as she settled in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on.

"Like most things with my husband, I learned it just best not to ask," Laura answered. She turned the car on, rolling her eyes as Natasha immediately started messing with the radio stations and eased the car back onto the road. They were driving for a good five minutes before Laura finally snapped. "Just pick a station and stay there."

"I would but they're all playing the news or something," Natasha said, wrinkling her nose. "Every single station. That's not normal." Laura met her gaze and watched as she settled on a single new station.

' _Breaking news. The UN Summit meeting to discuss the ongoing proposed Sokovia Accords at the Vienna International Centre was bombed this afternoon. No word on the number of casualties but amongst the confirmed dead is T'Chaka, the ruler of Wakanda, long rumored to be both the wealthiest and most secretive country in the world. The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre have already identified a suspect: James Barnes also known as the Winter Soldier. The public is being warned that Barnes is armed and dangerous. Any leads…..'_

Laura stopped the car abruptly, grateful for the mostly empty road. She looked over to meet Natasha's equally shocked expression.

"And today was such a nice day too," Natasha murmured.

* * *

*Thoughts? Was that a cliffhanger? I mean I'm pretty sure it's not… right? See y'all soon!


	2. This Looks Bad

**Summary:** The sequel to _Because I Could Not Stop for Death_. As the team settles into the newly minted Avengers mansion, there's a new danger rising that threatens to tear the team apart from the inside. Now more than ever, they'll need to show that they're more than just a team, they're a family.

 **Pairings** : Clint/Laura, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Darcy/Ian, Steve/Bucky. Hints of Wanda/Vision, Bruce/Betty

 **Warnings** : Um, spoilers for Age of Ultron and Civil War, kind of?

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing!

 **Author's Note** **:** Hello all! Not really much to say here. Thanks for all the support last chapter. Glad you enjoyed. I just wanted to post something quickly because I'm participating in the NaNoWriMo challenge this year so I need to be focused on that. So probably no updates for a little while. I hope this tides you all over. Ciao for now!

* * *

 **This Looks Bad**

Clint was ready to stab someone when the Breaking News alert interrupted the second part of the season finale episode of Dog Cops. They finally got Steve to shut up and accept the show when a reporter interrupted with news of a bomb exploding during the Summit for the Sokovia Peace Accords, aka the document desperately trying to enslave the Avengers and any other person with abilities. As much as it sucked that a bomb went off and there were casualties, Clint was finding it hard to care much. That is until the screen was suddenly filled with the face of one James 'Bucky' Barnes, the apparent prime suspect in the bombing.

It was a clear photo of the sniper staring at the security camera. Clint could see why people believed it was him. But Clint knew better. Even taking away the brainwashing and skills he learned as the Winter Soldier, there was no way that Bucky would ever be sloppy enough to get caught on camera. Much less stop in front of a camera and remove his facemask. The idea was ridiculous. Plus, that's just not who Bucky was anymore. He wasn't the Winter Soldier anymore. Well, he was but he was no longer the weapon that HYDRA turned him into. Now he was just your average PTSD suffering war veteran that enjoyed snuggling with his kitten, chasing his adopted nieces and nephews in the backyard and hoarding animals. International acts of terrorism weren't his thing anymore. Not to mention, the more obvious fact that there was no way that Bucky was anywhere near the Summit.

"Cap, what do we do?" Sam asked, dragging Clint out of his thoughts. Sam was watching Steve warily. The blond was staring blankly at the television screen. His eyes were glazed over and Clint was starting to worry that the man was going in shock. "Steve?"

"What… right, yeah," Steve murmured, shaking his head. "Clint, call Daisy and make sure that Bucky is with her and safe. And then tell them to go somewhere safe."

"Like where?"

"Like somewhere only you know," Steve answered, firmly. "I know you. You have a few dozen safe houses across the world. If anyone can keep Bucky safe, it'll be you. So you take care of that, I'm going to call Coulson and Fury."

"I'll get Stark and Rhodes," Sam offered, already rolling off the sofa to grab his phone. Steve moved to do the same thing when Clint stopped him with a hand on the super soldier's knee. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"After you call Phil, call Bucky. I don't want him to have to hear this from Daisy. I'm sure she'll keep him safe and out of sight but it should come from you. He's going to need to hear from you. Okay?"

Steve nodded mutely. Clint felt bad. Steve was obviously in shock. Who wouldn't be facing his situation? Two hours ago, he was planning how best to finally launch the Stucky ship and now he was facing losing Bucky (again) if the wrong people got to him before they did. Thankfully, Bucky had a team, a family, that was not about to let anyone even resembling the wrong people near him. Well if Steve could just snap the hell out of it already. Where was the dude that damn near leveled an entire HYDRA base because he thought his best friend might still be alive?

"Right," Steve finally muttered. "Going to call Fury."

Clint watched as the man stumbled to his feet, still in a daze. But with every step, the archer could see the fire returning to him. Good. Because at this point, they were going to need that and so much more. Shaking his head at his own distraction, Clint picked his phone up off the coffee table and dialed Daisy's number. His self-appointed newest little sister picked up on the third ring. There was a hint of humor in her voice and he could hear the twins bickering in the background. For a brief moment, he let the calm of his kids' insanity steel his nerves and then he remembered that they didn't have time for all that.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Hey, Daisy. This is really important. I need you to walk outside for a little while."

If she thought the request was odd, Daisy made no indication. Instead, she just announced that she was going outside to stretch and talk to Lincoln. Clint laughed at the obnoxious kissing sounds Pietro made in response. His kid was a brat. He loved him to pieces.

"Okay, I'm outside," Daisy spoke again. "What's going on?"

"Please tell me that Bucky is with you."

"Of course. He's in silent mode according to Pietro. It's apparently that thing he does when he shuts out all annoying people under the age of thirty so that he can do 'some damn thinking'. Personally I just think he's a cyborg on a resting charge cycle."

"These are not entirely incorrect assumptions," Clint replied with a hint of humor before sobering quickly. "But unfortunately all of that is going to have wait. I need you to listen carefully. I get that the mission is over but don't bring him back here. Talk to Wanda. Tell her that you need to go somewhere safe. She'll bring you to one of my more secure safe houses."

He heard her let out a soft, sigh. "Clint, what's going on?"

"Something bad. Something really bad. But just remember, he was with you the whole time. And he's mostly harmless. He's a good man."

"I know," Daisy said firmly.

"Good. You're a smart cookie," Clint laughed aloud at her indignant snort. "I mean it. You're smart. And I trust you to keep him safe. To keep call of them safe. They're my family."

"I will," Daisy promised.

"I'll come for you all when it's safe and he's been cleared. That's my promise to you. But there's one thing I forgot to say."

"Yeah?"

"You're my family too, Shakes. So include yourself in that whole protection thing, okay?"

He heard her laugh in response before promising that she would include herself in the Inhuman defense package. She definitely had his sense of humor. Phil clearly had a type. Though they started off on the totally wrong foot, Clint found that he was proud of where they were now. They were family. Though they were initially brought together by their connection to Phil, over time Clint genuinely grew to enjoy the presences of the younger agent. He knew he came off as occasionally aloof… okay, maybe not so occasionally but he was going to do better with her. Daisy deserved more than that. She was a good kid. And outside of the rest of the team and Phil, there really was no one else he trusted to watch his kids and Bucky other than Daisy.

Dammit, he really did adopt another stray into his life. That was it. He was totally done with adding anyone else to this makeshift family. No more new strays. As he walked outside to join Sam in the foyer blatantly listening to Steve's end of the conversation, Clint had to snort. Even he didn't believe that lie. The Avengers just seemed to invite strays into their fold. They'd probably have a new member by the end of the week.

* * *

From the moment six year old Bucky Barnes met five year old Steve Rogers, he operated as if he finally found his life's purpose. And it was to keep the reckless, feisty Steve alive. Steve readily admitted he was a handful when he was younger. Between his inability to walk away from a fight and his own poor health, Bucky was as much Steve's best friend as he was the sole reason Steve was alive. And even the serum didn't seem to slow down or tame his impulsive behavior. If anything, the serum enhanced more than just his body, it enhanced his mind… and his ability to seek trouble out like it was his mistress. Bucky had to be even quicker when it came to taking care of Steve. And he did. All the time. Until the one time Steve needed to take care of Bucky and he failed. He didn't hold on. He let Bucky fall from his grasp. In more than one way. Steve should've known back then what he felt for Bucky was more than just friends. But he didn't. He was too scared. And it wasn't until he was watching Bucky fall away from him, listening to him screaming, that it clicked. Steve Rogers loved Bucky Barnes. And he couldn't imagine living in a world without him. It shouldn't come across as a surprise to anyone that knew the pair that Steve crashed a plane into the Artic just days after losing Bucky.

Fortunately, despite a few years post the Big Freeze, Steve found that he didn't have to live in the world without Bucky. Because someone out there cared about Steve. He built up enough karma to deserve a second chance. And this time he wasn't going to screw it up again. He was going to take care of Bucky the way the man deserved. He chased him across the world in every effort to bring him home until the man finally cracked and let Steve catch him. Steve was there for every nightmare. Every moment of self-doubt or loathing. Steve tried to make up for the seventy plus years that Bucky had been there for him. And prior to this moment, he thought he was doing a pretty decent job. He was just going to ignore the whole "Stucky" thing. But it wasn't until he heard the devastation and fear in Bucky's voice without anyway to see him or hold him that Steve realized he failed yet again.

"I don't understand," Bucky said, shakily. "I had nothing to do with this. I don't do that anymore, Stevie. You know that, right? You know it wasn't me."

"Of course, I do," Steve assured him. "Buck, even if I didn't know that you're with Daisy and the twins right now, I would know that you had nothing to do with this. This isn't you. Okay? This is someone trying to set up you. Most likely to draw you out of hiding. But it isn't going to work."

Bucky didn't respond at first. All Steve heard was his trembling, gasping breaths. He was tempted to tell Clint to call Wanda back but eventually he heard Bucky mumble something that resembled acceptance of Steve's words. He would accept that for now.

"It's going to be okay, Buck, I promise. We're going to fix this. Stick with the twins. They're going to take you somewhere hidden. Daisy will make sure you're all safe. I'll find you when this is all over."

"What if it's not?" Bucky asked. "What is this is only the beginning of more shit down the line? Someone wants me out of hiding? For what? Why? And who's to say they're the only ones. What if this is never over?"

"It will be," Steve replied firmly and with all the conviction in his heart. He chewed on his lip. "Besides… I owe you a date. Would be a little hard to collect on that if you're a wanted man." Bucky let out a small choked laugh that sounded too close to a sob for Steve's liking.

"Really? Now?! You want to bring this up now while half the world is coming after me?"

"You know my timing is crap, Buck. It always has been. I should've told you a million times. Before you were deployed. After you and the rest of your squadron were saved. The night you agreed to follow me into the war against HYDRA. Hell, any of the hundreds of thousands of quiet moments that we had then and now. I should've said something and I didn't. But it changes nothing because I still feel the same way I did seventy years ago. So that's your reason to hope. Because we still need to see where this goes. You can't quit on us."

Bucky let out another watery laugh. "I never gave up on you before, punk. Not going to start now. Even if you do have the worst timing ever."

Steve laughed as well. "Yeah, that's probably true."

"So the next time I see you, it's going to be for our first date?"

"Yeah," Steve smiled, shelving the worries of the day to the backburner. Because all he could think about was that first date now. "Maybe we can go to Coney Island."

"That would… that would be nice," Bucky answered. "As long as you stay off the rides. I'm not cleaning up puke on my date. I expect to be properly wooed!"

"I'm going to woo the pants off ya, doll face," Steve retorted, earning another laugh that was thankfully a lot more genuine. "We're going to get through this. I promise."

"You never found a challenge you couldn't overcome," Bucky said, actually sounding like he believed Steve for the first time during their entire conversation. Steve smiled wider.

"Buck?"

"Yeah, Stevie?"

"I love you."

"Yeah, I uh, I love you too."

"I'll see you soon."

With that, Steve pressed the end button on the call and turned around to see an incredulous looking Sam and Clint. He wondered if it was a bird themed superhero thing that let them pull off the 'your life choices are bad' look so well. Either way, he didn't have to take this from either one of them. Okay, so maybe he did have to take this from them. Because he owed everything he had to both of those men. Still, he didn't have to let them know that.

"What?" he asked pushing past them.

"Seriously?!

"You asked him out now?!"

"You're the worst!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I thought it was romantic."

Clint rolled his eyes. "You better hope this doesn't end with any of us dead or left to rot on the Raft because that was a terrible way to go about finally declaring your love for the dude you've been head over heels for since the '30s."

"Why would I ever hope for anything other than that in the first place?"

"Why would you finally ask your best friend of seventy years out while he's being accused of international terrorism?!" Sam countered.

Any response Steve would've made was halted by the ringing doorbell. The trio exchanged glances. He didn't need to hear them speak to know that they were both thinking along the same lines as he was. None of the team would ring the doorbell and the SHIELD team had long ago stopped ringing and came and went as they pleased. So that meant whoever it was at the door was definitely not a friend. Clint slid across the floor to the door and opened to reveal a too familiar face flanked by several severe looking men.

"Sharon Carter, as I live and breathe," their archer drawled in a very convincing southern accent. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"Oh, Clint, I wish I could say I missed you but…" Sharon trailed off. Her eyes flitting over Clint's shoulder to Sam before she finally settled on Steve hovering slightly behind his friend. Sharon's face softened into a genuine smile. "Hi, Steve."

"Agent 13," Steve replied with a curt nod. She winced. "As my friend here asked, what can we do for the CIA's finest today?"

"We're here about the Winter Soldier," Sharon said, her eyes still soft. "This doesn't have to be a scene. Just turn him over."

"Turn who over? Winter Soldier, you guys know a Winter Soldier?" Steve asked, feigned confusion heavy in his voice.

"Nope, no Winter Soldier here. Thanks for the visit, Share. Always a pleasure," Clint quipped as he attempted to close the door on her face. She held onto it with an eye roll that would make Natasha envious.

"We know the Winter Soldier is with you and has been since before you moved here. Just turn him over and we can leave you to whatever it is that retired superheroes do with their days."

"Well, even if we did know where the Winter Soldier was, we definitely wouldn't tell you," Sam started. "We all know that you're not looking to give him a fair trial. You're not interested in justice. You just want a scapegoat. Someone easy to punish for all the sins of HYDRA. And who better than HYDRA's favorite weapon? You don't even care that he was tortured and manipulated, you all just need someone to blame for the massive oversight that led one of the worst terrorist organizations to continue building and festering for over seventy years. And Bucky is that person."

"That's not true!" Sharon protested.

"Isn't it? Because why else would you be looking for a man who committed an act of terrorism in Vienna just five hours ago in New York?" Clint finished. Steve narrowed his eyes, glancing between the two men. Definitely some kind of bird hero thing. "I trained with you, Share. You know the facts don't add up. None of this makes any sense. That's why you're here. You know that the real Bucky Barnes was nowhere near Vienna."

"We just want to ask him some questions," Sharon admitted. "Yes, it does seem suspicious. But right now, he's our only suspect. Like it or not, his face is the only one on that security footage. He's the only plausible suspect in a case that now has a casualty count of twenty five people. Twenty five, Clint. That includes the king of Wakanda. I don't have to explain to you how that's pretty much a big deal."

"I get that, Sharon. But let's just be real here. This is a witch hunt. You're not here to ask him questions. The CIA is going to make an example out of him. He's the last piece of HYDRA that can be tried," Steve retorted.

"We really are here to ask him questions," Sharon tried to explain.

"You're a little heavily armed to say you want to have a sit down meeting," Sam pointed out, no doubt eyeing the very large guns Sharon's entourage were packing.

Sharon sighed. "Look, we just need to take a look around. If he's not here, then you have nothing to hide."

"No."

"Why not? You say he's not here."

"He's not. But that's not why," Clint shrugged. "Like the man said you're a little too heavily armed for our taste. Don't want you or your trigger happy boy scouts coming in our house near my kids with a small arsenal."

"Kids? Really, Barton? That's the best you got?"

Almost as if on some unheard cue, Cooper cleared his throat prompting everyone to turn around. His smirk was all Clint.

"Dad? Nate needs a bottle and a change. And you and Mom do not give me enough allowance for that."

"I got it," Sam offered. Clint nodded in gratitude. Sam slung an arm around Cooper's thin shoulders. "Come on, kiddo. By the way, where is your sister?"

"Playing in Wanda's closet."

"Oh good."

Steve seconded that sentiment. Because Cooper was very much his mother's child. He was calm and able to listen to reason. Lila, on the other hand, was very much the worst parts of her parents packed into an adorable moppet sized body. The last thing they needed was her form of defense for her favorite uncle.

"So unless you're going to pull a Tony and accuse my twelve year old son of being an agent, I guess you guys didn't really do your homework too well, huh?"

Sharon gave him a dirty glare before fixing a pleading look on Steve. It pained him that just a year ago, that look would've worked. He could see himself falling for Sharon. Hell, he almost had and they hadn't even had a first date before he found out she was really his SHIELD handler. That was just as well anyway. He didn't have enough room in his heart for more than one person. And while Peggy would always have her own special place in his life, his heart belonged to Bucky. And his fledging feelings for Sharon weren't enough to threaten that at all. He guessed that must have been showing on his face as her expression closed down even further.

"Steve, I thought we had something," she tried.

"Oh, you mean like when you lied to me for a year and pretended to be a nurse when you were really an agent hired to watch me? You mean that thing?" he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, things have changed anyway, Sharon. If we did have a thing, it's over now."

"Yeah, the real love of his life is back. So you can just back off, lady!"

Clint groaned even as Steve tried to stifle a laugh. Sharon just looked surprised and slightly offended by the sudden appearance of the irate eight year old.

"Oh, look, a wild Lila has appeared. And now I'm going to take it back to its room to remind it for the hundredth time that it can't just say what it wants to."

"But that woman is a threat to my ship!" Lila protested even as Clint slung her over his left shoulder, heading towards the stairs. Steve shook his head, turning back to Sharon.

"I don't understand," she murmured. "The love of your life… but Aunt Peggy… she died, Steve."

Steve closed his eyes at the too familiar sting he felt at the passing of Peggy. Though he now realized that he had been in Bucky his whole life, Peggy still had a special place in his heart. He loved her too. Had he not crashed the plane, they probably could've had a nice life together. But he probably wouldn't have crashed the plane if Bucky was there… and if Bucky was alive, he had no idea what his life would be like. But he knew it would always center on Bucky.

"I know she's gone, Sharon. Oh, and thanks for telling me you were Peg's niece before the funeral. I really enjoyed the surprise."

"I," Sharon started to explain before understanding flooded her eyes. "Oh, I see."

"Yeah, I guess you do."

"I didn't know."

"Hell, I didn't really get it either. Not until I saw him again in DC."

Sharon stared at him for a long silent moment before sighing. "Okay, I get it. He's important to you. But if you don't tell us where Barnes is, I'm going to have to bring you in. All of you. Because I know that Wilson and Barton know something."

Steve noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Sam and Clint were back in the foyer. Sam had Nate cradled on his shoulder while Clint was holding Lila on one hip with a hand resting on Cooper's shoulder. Both men were wearing matching determined expressions. They nodded in unison when they saw Steven's attention on them. He nodded in response.

"If that's what you need to do, Sharon, then okay. But first let us call the kid's mother so she knew where they are."

"That's fine. You can call them in the car," Sharon replied tersely. She motioned for the rest of the men with her to back away. They did so without complaint. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this."

"Me too," Steve replied.

* * *

Despite talking to Clint and knowing that they were all being taken into JCTC custody, Natasha couldn't fight the bitter disappointment she felt arriving at the mansion and finding it empty. She and Laura had broken traffic laws they didn't know existed in order to get back to the mansion they called home before they could take Clint, Sam, Steve and the kids. But they missed them. She didn't even know by how long. She just knew that when saw Sharon, she was kicking the blonde's ass. It didn't matter if the woman was just following orders. She should know better. She had to know that something wasn't adding up here.

"Tell me that this is all a sick joke from that bird brained weirdo we all love so much," Tony's voice sounded long before they saw the man. He was flanked by Thor and Rhodey, each sporting a concerned expression.

"I wish it was," Laura replied. Natasha gave her a look out the corner of her eye. She was concerned about the woman. In one fell swoop, her husband and three of her children had been taken into custody in retaliation for them not giving up the man she considered her brother. "Tell me that we have a plan."

"I do. I'm calling Fury," Rhodey announced. "Carter is one of his. He'll know how to talk to her. Because we all know that Bucky didn't do this. Besides the obvious of he couldn't have done it, we all know he wouldn't do it."

"The man expresses his angst through adopting adorable animals, there's no way he's going back to being a terrorist for hire. Speaking of that, when did we get ducks?"

Natasha exchanged looks with the rest of her team before shaking her head. She couldn't wait until Bucky and Steve pulled their heads out of their asses and finally got together. She was not looking forward to figuring out how complicated it would be to have their home declared a wildlife preserve. But at the rate they were going, Bucky was going to hoard enough animals to make it so.

"James, you call Fury. I'm going to try Coulson," Laura said. "You're right. Besides the fact that Bucky wouldn't do this, he actually couldn't have done it. And we just need to prove that. I'm not going to let these assholes destroy his life more than HYDRA already has." And then because she was Laura and Natasha was convinced she would've made a hell of a candidate for the Red Room, she added this one last part, "I swear to every deity on this world and the next that I will mind wipe every single member of the CIA if they hurt even a single strand of hair on his head."

Rhodey looked both impressed and mildly terrified even as he walked away to talk to Nick. Thor was just straight up impressed. Tony slung an arm around the younger woman's shoulder. Natasha was well versed in Tony Stark and his actions to know that he was showing that he was also impressed and also offering comfort. Natasha sometimes reflected on her initial impressions of Tony and wondered how she got it so horribly wrong.

"You know sometimes I totally get what Barton sees in you," Tony said, squeezing Laura's shoulders once more before releasing her. The woman herself merely grinned, kissing him on the cheek before drifting off to make the call to Coulson. Natasha knew it was just a courtesy check in because there was no way in hell that Phil didn't already know and that he wasn't already all over this.

"You know Ross is already involved in this," Thor said, gaining the attention of the two remaining Avengers. "I doubt he would hesitate to involve himself in something that could potentially turn the worlds' governments against us even more."

"You're right. But I think it's also past time that we take care of Ross once and for all," Tony mused. "This has gone on for far too long. And if they seriously think that they're going to sacrifice Bucky to their government altar, they have another thing coming."

"Fury is on it," Rhodey announced, coming back into the room. Natasha wasn't surprised that their conversation didn't last long. Nick was a man of few words. "He said that he's working on getting our guys out of there and clearing this whole mess up with Bucky and Vienna. But he wants us to lay low. And to definitely keep Bruce as far away from this as possible."

"It's cool," Tony replied. "Bruce is with Vision. They'll be okay."

"Great. Oh, and one last thing. Nick said the Prince of Wakanda was out for revenge. He said we should be careful."

"Oh, please," Tony scoffed. "What's some spoiled rich kid going to do against a trained former HYDRA assassin?"

"This coming from the same spoiled rich kid that built a suit of armor from scrap metal and singlehandedly laid a crippling blow to a terrorist organization," Rhodey countered. Tony tilted his head to the side and nodded.

"Point to you. But whatever. This guy should be a non-issue. If I can live with Bucky and he actually did kill my parents, this prince can deal with the guy that wasn't anywhere near his parents," Tony said with a shrug. "Seriously, I get Fury's concern but honestly, what's one little prince going to do in the long run?

* * *

*for the record, I actually do not hate Sharon. She's just trying to do her job. And that tension will start to ease in future chapters. And just a hint, Clint might just be on to something with that whole adding another stray to the family. Another stray kitty one might say... okay, I'm done now. Until next time!


	3. You Will Be Found

**Summary:** The sequel to _Because I Could Not Stop for Death_. As the team settles into the newly minted Avengers mansion, there's a new danger rising that threatens to tear the team apart from the inside. Now more than ever, they'll need to show that they're more than just a team, they're a family.

 **Pairings** : Clint/Laura, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Darcy/Ian, Steve/Bucky. Hints of Wanda/Vision, Bruce/Betty

 **Warnings** : Um, spoilers for Age of Ultron and Civil War, kind of?

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing!

 **Author's Note** **:** Hello, hello, hello! I'm back with a brand new chapter. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

You Will Be Found

Three days. That's how long it had been since the call that changed everything. Bucky supposed that he should be used to having his life in a constant state of upheaval. He was the formerly brainwashed weapon of choice for HYDRA. He should be used to chaos and uncertainty. But four months of living, if not in the same place, but somewhere stable and with loving family and friends made him sloppy. He let his guard down. He forgot all about his training and let him think that this was a chance to have a life. He let him think that maybe, just maybe, he could possibly have a happy ending. And look where that got him. Now he was a wanted criminal (again) and Steve, Sam and Clint were locked up with the JCTC while Phil and the rest of the Avengers and SHIELD worked on clearing his name. It was all out of control. A year ago Bucky would've been able to cope with this. Hell, six months ago he could've adjusted. But now? Now he was drowning.

"It's okay," Wanda's accented voice wrapped around his mind, soothing him unconsciously. He didn't jump though at the sudden intrusion in his mind. He knew that the girl couldn't help it anymore. Her powers made her more sensitive to those around her. When she sensed hurt or a negative emotion, she unconsciously reached out to soothe it, especially when it was one of her friends or family. Bucky was certain she didn't even know she was doing it. He had noticed her powers growing for quite some time. So instead of being offended or mad, he simply leaned into the comfort she was offering.

"I'm sure Coulson is close to figuring this out," Daisy chimed in from her spot across the room. Bucky lifted his head to look at her through the loose fringes of his hair. She was sitting lotus style in the large picture window overlooking the street though her head was tilted towards him. "You've got Tony Stark, Phil Coulson and Nick Fury working on your side. We're going to get through this."

"There's nothing to get through," Bucky sighed. "It's been three days and they haven't let them go yet. They only arrested them to get to me. I'm not going to let Steve or Sam or Clint suffer because of me."

"But Bucky, you didn't do anything!" Wanda protested, as she did every time Bucky brought this topic up.

"I know. That's why I need to turn myself in. the longer this goes on, the guiltier I look. I never should've let Steve talk me into this. I should've turned myself in from the start. But I mean it's not too late. I still could."

"Nope! Not happening!" Daisy countered. "Your hetero life partner in all things sniper related told me to make sure that you stayed safe. He specifically tasked me with keeping you off the grid and that's exactly what I'm going to do. We're staying here until all of this blows over."

Bucky felt his jaw clench even as he stared down the surprisingly fierce Daisy and Wanda. Both girls were staring at him with wide but determined eyes. His programming and handlers told him that family and friends were a weakness. They were something to hold you back. And they weren't entirely wrong. Because he was definitely being held back right now. Pinned down by the gazes of these women that were barely adults, especially in Wanda's case.

"You know that as powerful as you are, neither of you could really stop me if I tried to leave," Bucky said with no real threat behind the words.

Wanda smiled softly. "Yes, we are aware. Let it not come to that."

He sighed, slumping further down in his seat. "Let the record show that I'm not happy with this. Any of it."

"The record is aware. The record also doesn't care," Daisy quipped. Bucky felt a reluctant grin growing. She beamed in his direction before turning back to the window.

Silence reigned over the small apartment. Wanda picked up the book she discarded in the midst of Bucky's daily crisis while Daisy continued to people watch through the window. Bucky knew she was keeping an eye out for anyone official looking, Avenger affiliated or Pietro. They learned very early on that keeping a speedster trapped in a one room apartment for more than a few hours was a recipe for disaster. So the kid burned off some steam by making a cross world trek. He was usually gone in the pre sunrise hours and back shortly before the sun set. It was getting to be that time when he made his back to their home away from home.

Bucky sighed again, toying with his phone. It was strictly in airplane mode. He wasn't stupid enough to turn it on and risk being tracked. But he was sentimental enough to need to have something that reminded him of Steve. And not just Steve but really his whole family. Yes, he missed Steve… damn, he missed Steve. But he also missed bickering with Clint and Sam in the morning over who made the best waffles. He missed watching his unofficial nieces and nephews play together with the many animals that seemed to be appearing at random around the mansion. He was only claiming responsibility for the ducks. He missed his talks with Laura. He just really missed his family. His handlers were right again. Family and friends held you back. They made you care. And caring made you weak.

He was so weak right now. He was tired of waiting. The waiting game was bull and he was over it. But he also knew it wouldn't do well to rock the boat. He made his stand for the day. He would try again the next day. Eventually, either they would see reason or the situation would be resolved. Damn, he really hoped it would just be resolved. He wanted this over, one way or another. He just really wanted to go home.

It was on that day that Bucky learned a very important lesson: be careful what you wish for. Because you just might get it. Although in this case, Bucky wished that he could be home with his boyfriend and family. He was not hoping a man would come crashing through their living room window and throwing out a smoke bomb that caused Wanda and Daisy to drop to the floor in startling ease. Bucky kicked the still smoking can away from him while coughing away the fast acting remnants of the gas. He barely had time to react to that before the man launched himself at Bucky. From there it was a whirlwind of kicks and punches as Bucky tried to fend the man off as well as check if Wanda and Daisy were okay.

"Who the hell are you?!" Bucky asked, aware of the panic and hysteria threaded through his voice. He managed to create enough distance between them to check on Wanda. The teen was breathing. That was good enough. He then took a good look at his attacker. "And why are you wearing a cat suit?!"

"I am the Black Panther," the cat, man, hissed. "You killed my father."

"Hey, I'm a lot of things but an animal murderer is definitely not one of them!" Bucky retorted, cursing this newfound urge to start mouthing off to the bad guys. He definitely blamed Clint. And Steve. And Tony. Hell, all of them were guilty of it to be honest.

The man chuckled before removing his helmet. Bucky cursed as the crown prince, now king of Wakanda, stared back at him with cold eyes.

"Now do you see?" T'Challa asked. "You killed my father and you will pay for your crimes with your life."

"Hey! Slow down there. I did not kill your father!" Bucky protested. "I had nothing to do with the Vienna bombing."

"If you're truly innocent, then why did you run?" T'Challa argued. Bucky stopped short. "Why did you flee the country? Why not face justice?"

"Trust me, buddy, I have the same questions," Bucky answered, backing away from the living room slowly. He watched T'Challa's every move. The man moved exactly like the animal whose name he borrowed. His body appeared relaxed but Bucky could tell that he was ready to spring anytime Bucky made a move he didn't like. "But I swear to you, I had nothing to do with Vienna. I didn't kill your father."

"Liar! You were on camera."

"Trust me, if I was going to bomb something, you would never know," Bucky cursed himself again. Seriously. At this point it was like he wanted to die.

"How much blood is on your hands, Winter Soldier? How many families have you destroyed? How many men, women and children have you killed?"

"Countless," Bucky whispered, feeling the familiar stirrings of guilt. His feet froze. He should be moving away. He should be running. He should be doing anything but instead he was glued to the spot. The weight of the king's stare weighed his feet to the ground. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything but stare at the ma

T'Challa stalked towards him, clawed hand raised high. Bucky urged his traitorous body to move but it refused. This wasn't what he promised. He promised he was going to keep fighting. But now facing one of the victims of the crime he was being accused of, Bucky couldn't find it in him to fight anymore. No matter what he did, changing the public's mind about him was a battle he didn't seem to be winning. The world saw him as a villain and didn't want to consider anything else. And honestly, he was just so tired of fighting to change people's minds about him. He was tired of trying to fight his way back to the man he used to be. He didn't even know who that was supposed to be anymore. Honestly, he was just tired.

 _Steve… I'm so sorry._

He saw the claws swipe down towards his head and closed his eyes. As much as he was slightly grateful that this was the end, he didn't want to see it coming. And though he wished he could see Steve and the rest of their family one last time, he knew it was better this way. He knew they would try and stop it. He couldn't let that happen. If T'Challa killed him, it was over. Steve, Sam and Clint would be free to go. The Avengers wouldn't have to walk on eggshells because the government was looking for a reason to lock him up. It was just better this way.

His heart pounded in his ears and his breath caught in this throat as a montage of images passed through his head. He knew they said that your life flashes before your eyes in the seconds before your death. But for Bucky, it felt like hours instead of the seconds he knew it had to be. He could feel time stretching out in an endless sequence. And the images weren't his life. It was Steve. It was all Steve. Then again, his life had always been about Steve.

 _I never even kissed him._

With that last thought, Bucky steeled himself for his no doubt painful death. And then the ground beneath him shifted. The world moved and Bucky found that he was moving with it. It was a strange yet familiar sensation. He cracked an eye open and wasn't at all surprised to find he was cradled in the arms of a very determined looking Pietro. The scenery around them was a dizzying blur of silver with occasional flashes of green and stone until they finally came to a stop in a building that looked oddly familiar.

"We're back in New York? We're at the Tower? Wait, you left Daisy and Wanda!"

"He's not after them," Pietro replied, dismissively. "He could've killed them at any time but he didn't. Instead he was focused on you. I saw it all through Wanda. He only wanted to kill you. And you were going to let him."

"I was not!" Bucky lied. Pietro gaped at him.

"I saw you! You were on your knees. You weren't fighting back. You were going to let him kill you!" Pietro yelled. His eyes sparked silver. "You weren't even going to fight back. Everyone is fighting for you but you gave up the minute you found out about the bombing. Wanda and Daisy like to pretend it's not true but it is. You stopped fighting."

"Pietro…."

"No!" Pietro snarled. The silver sparked again. "I don't want to hear anything from you. You know it's true. You don't get that you're our family. We need you. You can't quit."

"Kid, this whole thing is a goose chase, and I'm the goose. It's not going to go away. They don't want logic or facts. They want my head on a pike. And until I give it to them, none of this goes away. More people are going to come after me. And maybe they don't have the prince's code of ethics. Maybe they take out Daisy and Wanda too. I can't live with that. I can't live knowing that I'm ruining this family."

"You're not!" Pietro protested. "Ugh, you're so stubborn. You're just like Dad."

Bucky snorted. "Seeing as how Clint is your favorite person in the world next to Wanda, I'll take that as a compliment."

Pietro narrowed his eyes but Bucky could see him relaxing somewhat. He ran a hand through his silver curls and sighed. "Come on."

"What now?"

"We have to get back to SHIELD so they can find a way to keep you safe. Then I'll go back for Daisy and Wanda."

Bucky braced himself for what was about to happen. He heard the kid. He knew that he was right. But Bucky also knew that he was right. There was no right answer here. Just more hard choices. The hard choices that no one wanted to make. But he was going to.

"Pete," Bucky started gently. "I'm so sorry about this, kid."

Pietro's brow furrowed. His lips formed a quiet 'what' seconds before Bucky caught him in the face with a direct blow from his metallic arm. He moved quickly to catch the kid before he fell. He gently laid him on the sofa. The blow would knock him out and most likely leave him feeling like crap for a few days but he healed quickly. He would be okay. Plus he would have help sooner than later.

Bucky pulled his forgotten phone out of his pocket and turned it on. He waited a moment and sent a text to Laura explaining where Pietro was as well as asking for pickup for Wanda and Daisy. Then he placed the phone on the unconscious teen's chest. He patted Pietro on the cheek lightly, his fingertips grazing over the bruised skin gently.

"I really am sorry, kid. But this is for the greater good."

He knew what he had to do. He was making the hard choice. He just hoped that it would be the right one too.

* * *

Sharon fought the urge to sigh as the loud and almost rowdy voices from the third conference room down the hall reached her ears. To say that they were actually being held under the custody of the US government under criminal charges of conspiracy in regards to international terrorism, the three men appeared to be having the time of their lives. She knew that was in no small part thanks to the influence of Tony Stark. The man had come in with a stone cold expression on his face and all but ordered them to put the men in a more comfortable conference room as opposed to the cell that Ross had originally suggested. He had been there pretty much the entire time that they had been brought into custody making sure that they were comfortable. They were eating better than the agents that worked there.

Despite her irritation at their antics, Sharon was wondering why they were even continuing this farce of a manhunt. It was becoming obvious that Bucky Barnes had little to do with this. She wasn't sure how his face came to be on that tape but sworn statements from Phil Coulson, the no longer dead Nick Fury and all of the retired Avengers swore that James Buchanan Barnes was nowhere near the scene of the crime. Instead he was somewhere in Middle America with the Sokovian twins that Barton apparently also adopted and a new agent working under Coulson. Ross knew all of this and he was still insisting on keeping Sam, Clint and Steve as bait for the missing in action Winter Soldier.

Sharon felt a familiar twinge of guilt as their words came back to her. As much as she denied that day, she knew they were right. This had gone far beyond them trying to find justice for the Accords bombings. No, this was about finding some safe scapegoat that they could try for not only this but also everything that had gone down with HYDRA. They didn't want Bucky because they believed that he was guilty. They wanted Bucky because he was the only piece of HYDRA left to publically try and condemn.

She was torn out of her thoughts as Ross strolled past the conference room she was using as a makeshift office. He was whistling a jaunty tune and smirking. She felt her blood run cold. There was only one thing that would make him happy right now. She climbed to her feet and followed the man as he walked into the hangout spot for the three "retired" Avengers.

Sam and Clint were engaging a truly ridiculous yet epic looking round of thumb wars while Steve was playing chess with Bruce Banner via Skype. He was one of the few members of the former team of superheroes that hadn't made an appearance. He very adamantly refused to be around Ross. It appeared even being near him via screen was too much. The normally affable scientist let out a deep growl before excusing himself. Steve sighed, pushing his chess game to the side and loudly complaining about how the Hulk probably ruined yet another board.

"So what do you want now?" Clint asked, leaning back in his seat. He swung his legs up in the table in front of him. "Want to hear one more time about how Bucky didn't do it?"

"I'm sure it'll settle in by the eighth time," Sam added. "Or were we already up to ten?"

"I guess brains aren't really a requirement for the whole Secretary of Defense gig, huh?" Clint finished with a wide grin. Sharon let her gaze roam from Clint and Sam over to Steve. Though he was quiet, she could see him focus on Ross and his lack of reaction to their goading. Ordinarily the man would be fuming by now. Instead, he was calm. He showed no reaction at all aside from the same smug grin that prompted Sharon to follow him in the first place.

She continued to watch Steve and saw when his eyes narrowed before flickering briefly in her direction and then to Sam and Clint. The two men went instantly quiet as they too noticed Ross' abnormal behavior. Steve slowly rose to his feet and Sharon wasn't at all surprised when Clint and Sam did the same.

"What did you do?" Steve asked.

Ross' grin grew impossibly wider. "Me? I did nothing. I only came in here to tell you gentlemen that you're free to go."

"What?" Clint murmured. "Why?"

"Because we got what we wanted. We don't have any further need for you."

"You got what you…."

Sam trailed off as a group of agents chose that moment to walk by. They were walking the standard position to escort a dangerous prisoner. But there would never be anything standard about this particular prisoner. She heard the horror stories about the Winter Soldier. She knew what he was capable of doing. She knew exactly how dangerous he was based off the damage he did to Steve barely three years ago. But now? Seeing him up close, she got why the Avengers were so protective of him. With his hands chained in front of him while several armed men roughly dragged him forward, he looked broken, sad and yet determined. She felt her own instincts to protect kicking in and so she wasn't even remotely surprised when Sam, Steve and Clint pushed her agents to the side. She merely held up a hand stopping them from retaliating. It would definitely not end well. The Winter Soldier was far from the only dangerous person in the Avengers. He was also far from the only dangerous person in the room.

"Bucky… what are you….?" Steve shook his head helplessly. Bucky lifted his head and gave the taller man a sad smile.

"Hey, Stevie."

Steve ignored the faint protests around them as he stepped forward to cup the face of their prisoner gently in his hands. Sharon felt her breath catch for a moment. She never saw Steve look that soft before. Even when they were flirting and inching closer to being something, Sharon never witnessed the look of utter devotion and admiration Steve was wearing now.

It was in that quiet moment that the faint hope Sharon was stubbornly holding onto was extinguished. There was no hope for a future between her and Steve. She saw it now. She would never beat Bucky Barnes. There might have been a chance that she could overcome the memory of Peggy Carter one day but she knew that there was no way she was beating Bucky. Especially not now that he's had a taste of what he could be with his best friend. No matter what happened here today, Steve Rogers were irrevocably in love with Bucky Barnes and nothing was going to change that. It would be sort of beautiful if it wasn't breaking her heart.

* * *

"This wasn't the plan."

That was what Steve said. What he wanted to say… what he wanted to do, he couldn't. Not without potentially starting a war with the government. The team was already basically one step away from being fugitives as it stood. He didn't want to drag them into something even deeper. But still as his thumbs stroked the warmth of Bucky's cheeks, catching the occasional tear, he was really at a loss for why. This was Bucky. The man that he destroyed an entire HYDRA camp to save once. Did they really think he wouldn't do even more to save him again?

"Stevie, I know this isn't what you wanted," Bucky murmured. "But I couldn't let you go down for me. I couldn't be the reason why you were locked away." He sighed and moved so that his head was pressed against Steve's for just a minute. And then he was looking at Clint and Sam hovering nearby. "Plus that, things got a little complicated. Our safe house was attacked by a dude in a cat suit."

"What?"

"Yeah, the prince of… well, I guess now he's the king of Wakanda. He somehow found us and attacked because he thinks I killed his father. He tried to kill me."

"In a cat suit?" Sam asked, his brow furrowing. "Does he like cats or something?"

"Everyone has a damn gimmick these days," Clint huffed. "There's some kid Tony is obsessed with stalking via YouTube that dresses up like a spider."

"Everyone has a gimmick," Sam repeated, shaking his head.

"Says the two idiots that have codenames based off birds," Bucky retorted earning an amused snort from Steve and matching glares from Clint and Sam.

"Wait, are the twins and Daisy okay?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, well mostly. He used some kind of smoke on them and knocked out Daisy and Wanda. Then Pietro came back and got us out of there. I had to hit him and knock him out. Stubborn brat wouldn't stop trying to save me. But don't get mad. I told Laura where to find all of them. He's okay."

Clint clapped him on the shoulder. "Dude, its fine. Don't worry about it. I know you care about the twins just as much as the rest of us. We're going to get you out of this, Buck."

"I don't know," Bucky said, quietly. "This might be the best option here. Even when I'm not doing anything, people get hurt. This might just be best for everyone. I mean isn't that what the Avengers are all about? Protecting the greater good?"

"Fuck the greater good," Steve declared with all the authority granted to him as Captain America before yanking Bucky forward with one hand still cradling his jaw and the other moving to his hair as their lips crashed together.

Bucky let out a surprised yelp that was swallowed by Steve's kiss. But soon his surprise gave way and his lips moved against Steve with the same amount of passion that he was pouring into their embrace. Over ninety years of pining and unresolved romantic tension all led to this one moment. This perfect moment with the best first kiss a man could ask for. Steve's only regret was that Bucky's hands weren't free to roam as much as Steve's wanted to. But they were in a government facility surrounded by a bunch of annoyed agents, including the woman he semi had a thing with. It would probably be best to let go now.

He pulled away but not before gently nipping at Bucky's bottom lip. He also ignored the annoying cat calls coming from the too amused Sam and Clint to instead focus on Bucky's flushed and dazed expression. His too red and shiny lips and mussed hair. It was a look he could get used to seeing every day. And he realized that he could. For the first time since he met Bucky, he realized that he could have this. This could be his.

"That was a hell of a goodbye," Bucky said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Steve scoffed. "If you think that I'm saying goodbye to you now, especially now, then you're out of your mind. This is our beginning, Buck. I'm going to get you out of this or I'm going to bring it all down to the ground."

Bucky gave him a small but still sad smile. "Sometimes I'm scared at how far you're willing to go for me."

"It's not any further than you're willing to go for me. You struggled against seventy years of brainwashing to come back to me. I think the least I can do is topple the US government."

Bucky snorted. "You're a mess, Rogers."

"Yeah, but I'm your mess."

"Yes, you are." He glanced over Steve's shoulder. "You two take care of him, for me?"

"Always do," Sam promised. "But you won't be gone for long."

"And don't worry. I'm sure Steve will only manage to pull off two really stupid things before you're back," Clint assured him. "And you will be back. We're Sniper Bros, remember?"

Bucky rolled his eyes but Steve could tell their words had an effect. He seemed less broken at the very least and a little more confident that his team would fight for him. That they weren't going to leave him to rot in some cell. Steve would rather raze this place to the ground than let that happen. He didn't even blink as Clint popped him upside the head at Bucky's request. He sighed as Clint cheerily declared "that was one."

He has mentioned that he hates these people, right?

* * *

Tony was starting to really hate the idiots he willingly called a team and a family. They managed to find a way to make an already complicated and intense situation even more complicated and intense. Seriously, these idiots had one job. Lie low and don't do anything until the big guns fixed this mess. Of course, they weren't really any closer to fixing it than they were at the beginning but at least then they didn't have Bucky in custody. Tony repressed the urge to sigh for the hundredth time. While it did help him to vent the frustration he had been dealing with since his return to the JCTC Headquarters two hours ago, it also made Clint and Sam flinch with misguided guilt and Steve to get even more annoyed. Tony figured Steve was about one more sigh away from burning this place to the ground to get to Bucky. No, he needed to come up with a more solid plan.

"So Carter Jr., what's the play here? What are they planning on doing with our friend?" Tony drawled, leaning forward on his elbows to stare at the former SHIELD agent over the top of his shades.

Sharon finally tore her not at all subtle heart eyed gaze away from Steve to look at Tony. "You know I can't tell you that, Tony. Even if I wanted to. Which I don't."

"Look, I get it," Tony shrugged. "Your little crush on Cap didn't work out. But even if you're going along with this because you think you have a chance with Steve with Bucky out of the way, you still know it's wrong. More importantly, you and I both know that this isn't what Peggy would've wanted. Bucky was her friend too. He was a Howling Commando, Sharon."

Sharon turned red, dropping her eyes to the table. She was silent for a few long moments before wordlessly sliding a keyboard across the table. She tapped on a few random keys and suddenly the three blank screens in the room sparked to life. They showed security footage but focused on one room in particular. They watched as Bucky was held in some strange and totally inhumane cage contraption. Out the corner of his eye, Tony saw Sam place a calming hand on Steve's arm. Satisfied that Steve was contained for now, Tony turned his attention to the screen again. There were two other men in the room with Bucky. One was Everett Ross but the other was someone Tony didn't recognize. And he had studied each and every member of team working with the organization.

"Who is that?"

"That's Dr. Theo Broussard," Sharon replied almost robotically. "He's a premier psychiatrist. JCTC hired him to interview Barnes and to see if he's fit to stand trial."

"Fit to stand trial for the thing he didn't do?" Clint questioned glibly. Sharon threw a glare his way. Clint smirked wider in response.

"Tony?" Steve started but Tony was already on it. He had FRIDAY looking for any and everything related to this Dr. Broussard. Meanwhile, Sam was keeping an eye on whatever was happening in the room now that Everett was gone. There was no audio but the visual worked for now. Well, it worked… until it didn't.

Ever since taking the modified Extremis that allowed him to safely remove the arc reactor in his chest, Tony found that he was more sensitive to things with an electronic signature. He was able to ignore it at first but through the years since that incident, he's noticed that it was becoming more and more obvious. And it was only because of that sensitivity that he felt the EMP blast that washed over the building. The room was plunged into darkness though a light still emitted from the tablet held in his hands. FRIDAY was still running a search through various media outlets for the good doctor.

His tech was good but it wasn't good enough to block an EMP blast from knocking it. His tablet should be dead. But it wasn't. Because he was holding it. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. It was one thing to semi know that something odd was happening but he had confirmation. And it was a little weird.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked, drawing Tony back to the situation. Tony squinted in the quasi darkness trying to make out where the former soldier was standing. He finally pinned him down to just a few feet away from where he was originally standing before the pulse hit the building.

Tony was about to answer him when he heard a shaky breath coming from his left on the floor. He didn't need to see to know who it was and what the problem was. The EMP knocked out all electronic devices. So now Clint couldn't hear or see. The man was normally unflappable but he was an Avenger, not to mention the crap he lived through before he joined SHIELD. The man was a walking talking definition for PTSD. He suffered bouts of depression and anxiety. And Tony knew that having any of his senses affected triggered that anxiety in a bad way. So he didn't hesitate to make his way to where Clint was huddled into himself. Tony tapped him on the wrist twice and smiled as Clint instantly relaxed. He cracked open his eyes relieved to see Tony's tablet casting odd shadows around the room. He gave him a wan smile of gratitude. Tony hesitated for a moment before lifting his hands to place them over Clint's ears. Even without power, Tony could feel the aids. The pulse thankfully didn't burn them out. It just knocked them out for a bit. Still, Tony knew that he, and more importantly Clint, would feel better with them completely functioning. So Tony concentrated on that small spark of life he could feel in the hearing aids and tried to find a way to bring them back somehow.

He was so lost in the task that he almost missed Clint's murmur of confusion. But eventually he noticed and snapped his eyes up to meet the younger man's. Tony didn't even need him to explain what shocked him. He could feel the thrum from the hearing aids again. Stronger than before.

"Clint…" he trailed off as the archer shook his head.

"It's cool, Tone," Clint winked and gave him a real smile. The ones that only his team got to see. "Let's focus on Bucky for right now. Seems mighty convenient that the EMP went off right when Bucky's interrogation started."

Tony nodded, his attention already returning to the tablet. "Dr. Broussard… is dead?!"

"What?!"

"His body was found this morning in a hotel in Vienna," he looked up at Sharon. "And get this, they also found facial prosthetics matching one James Barnes."

"So wait… if Broussard is dead then who the hell is that with Bucky?!"

"Don't know but I'm thinking that Feathers was right and he probably has something to do with all of this," Tony said even as Steve and Clint were running out the door. It said a lot about how truly screwed Sharon felt that she didn't even react short of lifting a shaky hand to point him and Sam in the same direction Steve and Clint ran off in.

It didn't take long to catch up to their friends and all four men arrived at the basement room where Bucky was being held in time to see the man in question on the ground outside the cage. One hand was clenched tightly against his forehead while the other was balled up on the ground. The fake doctor was chanting in Russian. Given the affect the words seemed to be having on Bucky, Tony could pretty much guess what they were. The code words to trigger the Winter Soldier. Steve started in the room but Tony held him back. Steve arched an eyebrow but Tony shook his head. He knew that the other man was frustrated but they had to know. As much as this sucked for Bucky, they had to know if he was free of the triggers or not.

The man finished reading and the effect was instantaneous. The pain was gone but the tension remained in Bucky's shuddering frame. He remained hunched over on the ground staring at the floor underneath his knees. The false doctor laughed, still oblivious to the men behind him, as he towered over the trembling Bucky. He was clearly enjoying his display of power… of hurting Bucky. It made Tony angry. It made him want to hit things. Seriously, he wasn't this violent before meeting these people. What was it about snipers that made the people around them want to burn the world when they were sad?!

"Mission Report. December 16, 1991." Tony closed his eyes briefly before opening them to watch Bucky. The man lifted his head. His eyes looked cloudy with pain but not blank. They almost looked defiant. "Mission Report, Soldier. December 16, 1991!"

"December 16, 1991," Tony started, strolling into the room surprising the man and Bucky. Steve followed him into the room, obviously anxious to get to Bucky but willing to follow Tony's lead. "That would be the night that HYDRA ordered the murder of Howard Stark with the death of Maria Stark being collateral damage to insure the secrecy of the Winter Soldier. The same assassin was also tasked with stealing a modified super soldier formula that would be used to create five more winter soldiers who were even more uncontrollable and downright savage compared to the original. They were placed in tanks to preserve them."

Tony came to a stop in between the man and his fallen friend. Is that the report you were looking for?"

The fake doctor looked appropriately surprised. "You... you knew?"

"Yes. I've known for quite some time now."

"And yet you're not fighting him?"

Tony turned around to face Bucky. He held a hand out to the former assassin. Though the question came from doctor impostor, Tony wanted Bucky to know the answer. "Never."

Bucky laughed softly. "Good to know."

"You doing okay, Terminator?"

"Oh, yeah," Bucky answered, sliding his metal hand against Tony's open palm. He looked up through the bangs of his hair, stubbornly sticking to his face. "That was too close. And my head is straight up killing me."

"Hmm," Tony murmured as he helped leverage Bucky to his feet. "Guess we should let Laura and Wanda poke around a little more in there."

"Yeah," Bucky said absently. He swallowed. "Don't feel so good." Tony watched as swayed alarmingly to the left and right into the solid mass of muscle that was Steve. Tony let go of Bucky's hand as he watched Bucky snuggle into Steve's all too welcoming embrace. He pressed his face against Steve's chest for just a moment. Then he tilted his head back and smiled up at Steve. "Hey, beautiful."

Steve grinned, pushing sweaty strands of hair away. "Hey, handsome."

"Miss me?" Bucky quipped with a wan smile.

"Always, Buck. I always miss you," Steve whispered, pressing the softest kiss against Bucky's forehead.

"Okay," Tony started. "I see it now. They're ridiculously adorable."

"Right?!" Clint and Sam chorused.

"I don't understand!" the fake doctor yelled. "You should be tearing each other apart."

"Why?" Tony asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're stronger together."

"Always have been," Steve added.

"Always will be," Bucky, Clint and Sam finished.

"Also what was your play here?" Tony said, shaking his head. "I mean you had a lot of variables in place here. What if Bucky didn't turn himself in? Also what if Ross wasn't a total idiot? What if that EMP went off didn't go off at the exact right moment? There were a lot of outliers here, buddy. This doesn't seem like a sane plan."

"And what was the ultimate goal anyway?" Clint chimed in. "What did Bucky ever do to you?"

"My name is Helmut Zemo. My family lived in Sokovia."

There was a heavy silence as the weight of those words settled over them. Tony sensed most of their eyes settling on him. But he knew they weren't damning him but rather they were concerned. It was true. He didn't handle the losses that inevitably followed a battle like the one in New York and Sokovia. But this time, it went too far. Ultron was meant to be a peacekeeping tactic to eliminate the need for the Avengers but he simply proved that the Avengers were more necessary than even Tony believed. They did their best to save lives in Sokovia. Hell, Clint would've been dead if it wasn't for Pietro protecting him during his sacrifice play.

"I'm sorry that you lost your family in Sokovia," Tony finally broke the silence. "Nothing we can say or do will ever bring them back. But neither would framing an innocent man for something he didn't do. Neither would watching us kill each other. None of that will bring them back."

"I know that!" Zemo snarled. "I just… you were supposed to tear each other apart. I was supposed to bring down your Empire."

"And yet, you didn't!" Sam quipped. He grabbed the man by his left shoulder. Clint moved to Zemo's right side and did the same thing. "Let's go deliver the real terrorist to Ross."

"Anyone else wonder what Ross actually does here?" Clint mused as they dragged the man towards the stairs. Tony was about to respond when they realized that Zemo was chuckling. "Hey, what the hell you laughing about?"

"You think you won here?" Zemo asked, hysterically. "You haven't won anything. You may have stopped me. But there's still the prince in play. He won't stop until he tears your precious Bucky to pieces."

Tony and Steve both glanced at Bucky. He clenched his jaw but they were both familiar with his tells. He was worried. Evidentially this prince was enough to shake the former Winter Soldier. He really hated it when Rhodes was right. T'Challa was more than just a spoiled rich kid. He was apparently smart enough to track Bucky, the twins and Daisy down in a safe house halfway across the world. Zemo was right. He was a threat. But he was a threat that Tony was confident could, and probably already was, be easily handled.

"Yeah, I'm going to take this as a win," he said, smirking at Zemo's twisted look of rage. "We'll handle his royal highness when we get a chance. And also remember, he's not the prince anymore. You kinda killed his dad. That makes him a king. Let's hope he's a merciful one."

Zemo snarled but Sam and Clint started marching him out of the room. Tony looked over his shoulder to see their resident super soldiers murmuring quietly to one another. He couldn't make out what they were saying but he had an idea based off the disgruntled look on Bucky's face. Steve scoffed and stepped away from his boyfriend. Bucky rolled his eyes, took one step forward and would've collapsed if it hadn't been for Steve's super reflexes. He groaned even as Steve scooped him up bridal style.

"Tony, I swear if I even think I see a camera," Bucky muttered from where his flushed face was pressed into the crook of Steve's neck. Tony snickered, even while holding his wrist gauntlet with the perfect angle to catch this. There was no way he was going to let Bruce, Rhodes and Thor live without seeing Captain America carrying the former Winter Soldier like a delicate princess. "I hate you, Stark."

"No you don't!" Tony replied with a grin evident in his voice. Bucky lifted his head somewhat to meet his gaze. Tony nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I don't."

* * *

Clint really should've known it wasn't over yet. A logical man would know he was defeated. But General Ross was far from a logical man. For starters, he spent an alarming amount of his career chasing after the Hulk who has been a proven hero for the past six years. Then there was the fact that despite knowing that Bucky was an innocent man and probably having been clued in by Sharon about the fake Broussard, he still had a team waiting at the top of the stairs with guns drawn. Clint rolled his eyes as Ross stood in front of his goons.

"So this is your real bad guy," he announced, dropping Zemo on the ground and strongly resisting the urge to kick him. "For the record, he framed Bucky, who as you were told several times was nowhere near Vienna and was in fact working for SHIELD because he is an agent of SHIELD. A fact that you know about."

Ross' jaw clenched as he looked between Zemo and Bucky with a clenched jaw. Still, he didn't look as defeated as he should to say that there was irrefutable proof that there was something more to this story. Instead the look he was throwing Bucky's way was making Clint more than a little nervous. He really hoped that they were going to be able to leave without fighting their way out of this. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

"Regardless of this new information you've presented, the fact remains that he's still the Winter Soldier. He needs to be held accountable for his actions," Ross declared, pretty much confirming Clint's belief that he had no idea to read a room. Clint knew his own face reflected his personal belief on this holding Bucky responsible for HYDRA torturing and mind raping him for seventy years concept. He didn't need to look to know that Sam and Tony were sporting similar expressions. He knew the only thing keeping Steve from throwing a punch was the fact that his arms were currently full of said person he wanted to protect.

"If that's what you really want to do, then okay," Tony shrugged. "You can hold the Winter Soldier accountable for the deaths that were sanctioned by HYDRA. But not James Barnes. And right now, that's the only person in his head."

"What?" Ross muttered.

"Thanks to the intervention of Wanda and Laura Barton, the Winter Soldier programming is all but nonexistent. Still has some kinks though."

Bucky grunted. "My head feeling like it's going to explore is not a kink!"

"Well it's that or you murdering us all. Which one do you prefer?" Sam retorted. "Plus you got your own personal ride for the day."

"True," Bucky whispered, leaning his head back against Steve's shoulder once more. "So what does this all mean? Is it over?"

"It means we go home."

The whole group turned around to find Natasha, Laura, the twins and a man that Clint vaguely recognized as T'Challa. The JCTC agents were surprised to find the guns that they were training on the newcomers were suddenly out of their hands with a simple nod of Wanda's head and a veil of red. Clint beamed in her direction. That was his little girl. Then his eyes flickered to Pietro. There was a bruise around his eye but it was healing already. He looked otherwise uninjured. Natasha was next to him. She winked at him before focusing her steely gaze on Ross. He smiled, looking to his wife.

"Hey, babe," Laura grinned.

"Hey, honey. You brought company?"

"Everyone this is King T'Challa and he has something that he needs to say," Laura continued cheerfully. "Isn't that right, your highness?"

"You are correct, Mrs. Barton," T'Challa took a step forward but not able to make it any closer to Bucky given the human protection wall separating him from Steve and Bucky. He nodded. "I understand your caution. But I am here to apologize. I was misinformed and let my thirst for vengeance could my judgement. I apologize Sergeant Barnes."

Bucky blinked. "Uh, it's okay."

"No!" Tony hissed, earning several startled looks from his friends. "You're supposed to be so mad that you campaign to get us free passes to visit Wakanda. It is the most technologically advanced country in the world. I cannot believe you would try to deprive me of this opportunity. I thought we were friends."

Bucky's face was so comically confused that Clint couldn't help but laugh. It helped that T'Challa seemed equally amused by their antics.

"Excuse me, but it would be my honor to invite you all to visit my home," he said with a slight bow. "We could even help you with your arm."

"Bullsht. He won't even let me look at the arm."

"Because you wanted to missiles in it!" Bucky countered. "And a bottle cap opener!"

Tony made no response other than a giggle which pretty much confirmed that. Not that Clint needed the confirmation. He was there for that conversation. Sadly the missiles and the bottle cap opener were the least ridiculous things Tony suggested putting in the arm. Laura rolled her eyes and turned to T'Challa to prove that at least one person in this family was sane.

"Your highness, we would be honored to accept your invitation for the trip as well as the assistance with Bucky's arm."

"I never said that any of you could leave, especially not Sgt. Barnes."

"For real?" Pietro murmured. "He's still on this?"

"He's way more stubborn than even Bucky and our father," Wanda added.

Clint was about to make a comment about bratty teenagers when Laura stepped forward, walking to Ross with a smile twisting her lips. He immediately moved to get a good view of the show. He knew Laura was tired of this whole long drawn out mess. And she was finally getting a chance to unleash. This was going to be good.

"Do you know who I am?" Laura asked, waltzing closer to an unsuspecting Ross.

"You're the wife of Clint Barton."

"Do you know what I can do?"

"Do?"

"Oh, this is going to be good." Her eyes changed immediately with the black he recognized as her powers working. "Let's just get this clear. You're going to forget about Bucky. You and all your men. You're also going to drop this ridiculous grudge you have against Bruce Banner and the Hulk. In general, you're going to stop harassing my family and find some other way to work out your overcompensation issues. Someway that doesn't involve my family."

She took another step closer, ignoring Ross' shaky gasp. "If I even think I see you near Bucky, Bruce or any of them, I will erase everything about you from existence. Are we clear?"

Ross swallowed and Clint openly smiled at his full body shudder. Clint knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Laura's black eyed glare of doom. Granted, most of the time it was because he didn't want to get out of bed to feed Nate. So he knew it had to be even more terrifying when you didn't have the title of husband and love of her life to protect you from her wrath. That's why he wasn't surprised when Ross shakily agreed and ordered his men to retreat.

"Okay, so now it's over?" Bucky asked hesitantly, shifting in Steve's arms.

"Yeah, now it's over," Laura assured him. "Now we go home. Thor, Viz and Bruce are watching the kids. So I expect that there will be at least five or ten holes we need to replace and fix. Also repairs in the kitchen from whatever Viz tried to cook."

"Speaking of dinner," Clint started. "Would you care to join us for dinner, your highness?"

T'Challa looked surprised by the invitation but seemed encouraged by the smiles of the team surrounding him. "I would be honored."

And so they left the building for the first time in three days over. It was finally over. There would be some fallout from this but Clint trusted that any repercussions would be smoothed over by Nick and Phil. With any luck, they could get this whole Accords thing killed and just go back to being the Avengers. But that was a situation for future them. For now, Clint was content to hug his wife and then his twins who he hadn't seen in even longer. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Clint felt settled. Everything was going to be okay.

"Steve, you ass! I'm fine. Put me down!"

Yeah, everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

*the end for now. Hope you enjoyed!


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